FMCG brands and new communication channels: how do food and beverage brands use TikTok in an emerging market?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to assess the use of TikTok in organic marketing communication of food and beverage brands on the Polish market. Despite the rising popularity of TikTok in Poland, its adoption by FMCG brands and their patterns of communication in this application are still understudied. To address this research gap, desk research method was applied. One hundred bestselling brands of food and non-alcoholic beverages in 2022 were reviewed in terms of their presence and content on TikTok. The results prove that the use of TikTok as a tool of organic marketing communication is still at an early stage of adoption in Polish food and beverage industry. Among the top hundred brands, only twenty two have an official page on TikTok, of which eighteen profiles are currently active. The most popular themes in communication include tutorial posts, references to current TikTok trends or consumer habits, humour, real-time marketing, posts created with influencers and posts related to adventure or hobbies. The outcomes of the research are concluded with their implications for theory and practice.